America’s First Cannabis Cafe Opens Today In Los Angeles

Lowell Cafe, the first fully licensed cannabis cafe in the United States, opens its doors in West Hollywood, California today, inviting patrons to pair a joint with its menu inspired by the flavor profiles of the plant.

“In harmony with the West Hollywood community, the restaurant will offer a first-of-its-kind nightlife experience,” a spokeswoman for the cafe told CNN. “Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe will serve as a welcoming and safe environment for all to enjoy and learn about consumption in the newly legal world of cannabis.”

Inside Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe

Customers who visit the cafe will be offered “table-side flower service” from a “flower host” and will be invited to choose a cannabis selection to be smoked on-site. Food and drink will also be available.

Head Chef Andrea Drummond, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Los Angeles, created a menu of California flavors to pair with the cafe’s cannabis offerings that includes miso-glazed pork belly, jalapeño mac and cheese bites, vegan nachos, sticky tamarind wings, house-made pickles, and avocado and white bean hummus.

Drummond launched the cooperative Elevation VIP in 2012, eventually becoming known for creating cannabis-infused cuisine for the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Miguel. Due to regulations, however, infused meals are not permitted. Instead, Lowell Cafe will only be offering cannabis products to pair with their menu items.

“Lowell Farms: A Cannabis Cafe was created because we believed there needed to be a destination for everyone to openly enjoy cannabis in the community,” reads a statement about the cafe. “Lowell Cafe is a welcoming space for those who are cannabis connoisseurs and those who are canna-curious and looking to experience cannabis in a welcoming atmosphere.”

Restaurant director Kevin Brady told the Los Angeles Times that the new cafe is already generating quite a buzz.

“We have families reaching out wanting to bring their kids or grandparents and high school groups of friends flying from all over the world,” he said. “I feel like we’re Disney World.”

That may leave some veteran members of the cannabis community feeling unwelcome, but the cafe’s website assures potential patrons that the new establishment is for everyone.

“As a canna-pro, you might prefer partaking in our sleek Dab Bar or puffing on several of our highly potent THC flowers during your stay. Lowell Cafe strives in providing an elevated experience for all cannabis aficionados,” the site reads. “We promise this aromatic voyage will delight the senses of both newcomers and connoisseurs, alike. “